KEMPER HALL OF FAME

Mr. Merv A Rummells

Mervin A “Merv” Rummells grew up in Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa where he earned his Bachelor and Masters degrees in drama and Shakespearean literature. He began teaching in 1932 in the Holtville, California school system where he retired. He accepted a faculty position at Michigan Tech and subsequently at Eastern Oregon College before coming to Kemper in 1965.

Merv participated in all aspects of cadet life, going to parades, football games, and the Standard of Honor ceremony. It was while viewing the SOH ceremony that he realized how badly the cadets needed a coach who could create the atmosphere needed for this event. Rummells sought and was appointed as the Standard of Honor advisor, a position he valued and cherished.

The SOH committees under Merv could not read note cards or use prompts. Instead the cadets were required to spend hours tediously memorizing their lines and rehearsing well scripted moves. It proved worthwhile and the much of the pageantry of the modern era SOH is owed to Merv who demanded excellence both inside his classroom and outside it.

The wry wit of Merv Rummells was a source of humor to cadets who came to guard their words with him for fear of offending. Even a simple greeting such as “how is your morning going?” might elicit a response of “Do you really care or are you mouthing so many words? Choose your words with care and thought!”